Chapter 4

Effie stared down at the key in her hand and the piece of paper that Dumbledore had given her with the name of her new apartment on. She had her well-worn backpack on her shoulder, which contained some of her belongings, the rest left in the little house she owned in Edinburgh. She felt completely out of place.

The street was lined in white Georgian houses, all with basements. The houses were tall and grand, and the road quiet and peaceful. Dumbledore had told her that the original owners of the flat had won a villa in Spain, and that their apartment had passed to Dumbledore with extraordinarily little fuss. Effie looked around and reached into the pocket of her coat to touch her wand. It was good to have it there, comforting somehow.

She moved towards the correct house and looked for the right door. She soon realised that her 'new flat' was the basement flat. She opened a little gate and climbed down the steps, disturbing a tabby cat who meowed piteously. "Hello, little one," said Effie, soothingly.

The basement flat had an opening in front which was big enough to walk around in. Under the street opposite the front door was a door which led to a cellar. Dumbledore had told her that there were some potions and portkeys kept in there, which might be helpful should the need arise.

Effie opened the front door and stepped into the flat. She was about to take out her wand but hesitated, realising that she could still be seen in the doorway from the street. She closed the door behind her. Despite being in the basement, the flat was light and airy. In front of her was a large kitchen, dining room and living room, which led out into a garden. She found there were four rooms off the main entryway – a bathroom with a rolltop bath, what looked like a study and two bedrooms.

This flat was very different to Effie's own house – hers was full of books in every nook and cranny, had magical artefacts dotted all over the place and generally had magical items running around cleaning and tidying. She also had two owls, who made their home in the garden outside. This flat was too bright and airy, with lots of artwork on the walls that wasn't quite to Effie's taste. She walked into her bedroom and smiled. This must have been the room that Dumbledore meant when he had said that he had tried to make it seem like hers. It was a little darker and was decorated in a deep burgundy. The walls had books all over them and on the bedside table was a family photo.

Effie picked it up. She saw her mum, Emma, with her Scottish colouring – red hair and blue eyes, next to her dad, Rashon. He was African American, from Georgia, and had moved to Scotland to be with her mother, who he had met whilst she was studying at University in America. It wasn't until later that she had found out he was a Wizard, but to her credit, after a few hours of silence, she was quite ready to accept it. She had been ecstatic when Atlas and later, Effie, had got their letters from Hogwarts. The fact that Effie's other brother, Lysander, hadn't received his letter did not put her parents off at all, and they loved all their children the same.

Effie put the photo down and walked over to the wardrobe. Inside was muggle clothing. Lots of suits and smart shirts, a couple of dresses and some pairs of shoes. Effie grinned as she looked at herself in the mirror and realised the difference between her clothing now, still smeared with mud from the forest, and the clothing she would have to wear when she attended the office the next morning.

She took out her wand and smiled at it. Whilst she had to live as a muggle at work, she didn't necessarily have to at home. Soon the house was much more as she liked it – there was a great deal of busy-ness as dishes washed themselves, enchanted statuettes prowled the shelves, pictures of people moved in their frames and three cats sat around the house, in varying states of rest.

There was an incongruous looking fireplace on one side of the living room, which looked like something that Dumbledore had enchanted to be there. Effie looked down into it, coming over to the sofa with a cup of tea, and gave a start. The fiery face of Pym Featherstone looked up at her.

"Hi Eff."

"Pym! You alright?"

"Dumbledore's sent me to give you some instructions about what work you'll be doing."

Effie nodded and curled up onto the sofa, bringing her knees to her chin. "I'm guessing it's going to be a bit different to curse-breaking."

Pym grinned and nodded. "Just a bit. You'll be personal assistant to the minister. So, you have to make sure she's always where she needs to be, has all her paperwork, you've made appointments with the people you need to and she doesn't have to deal with anything too menial. And you will probably have to get her coffee, do her dry-cleaning, accompany her to events and hold her bag etc."

"Great. I can't wait," Effie said, sarcastically. She was much more used to a more action-packed life, so the idea of being chained to a desk was not her idea of a good time.

"You can use magic if no one's looking though. It might make your work more enjoyable. Or at least ensure it goes quicker. Dumbledore said you might have to use some muggle technology…"

"Lysander has a phone and a computer. I know how they work."

"You'll do great, Effie. Anyway, you're far less noticeable than Kingsley. Just be wary. He-who-must-not-be-named is out now – we know he's around and the Ministry is aware, but I don't think they've still realised how dangerous he is. And the murder of the muggle leaders would cause mass panic in the muggle world. You-know-who wants to enslave them, and he'll do it."

Effie nodded and Pym grinned at her before her face disappeared into the flames. Effie stared for a while and watched as the flames died. Every witch and wizard could feel the threat of Voldemort coming ever closer. It would only be a matter of time before he and his followers made their move.